Streakin' Thru the 70s!

by James A. Rocco & Albert Evans

Run Time: 1hr 45min

Cast Size: 3F, 3M

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This smash Off-Broadway hit is a virtual jukebox of your favorite 70s hits!

Orlando Fringe Festival Audience Pick Award

An outrageous, mind-blowing dash through the “Me Decade,” complete with (shh!) a real life streaker! Featuring over 40 hit songs, Streakin’ Through the 70s! is filled with enough music and comedy sketches to make your bell bottoms burst.

Synopsis

Act IThe excitement begins at Streakin’!, a recovery “rap” group of modern-day professionals who believe denim is a far-out fabric to choose as business attire. Six people (and of course, the audience!) have come together to indulge in their addiction to all things 1970s. The group is here to rediscover and bring back to life the highs and lows of a much-maligned decade.

They introduce themselves with a wicked round robin of song. Tyrone clings to a Love Machine persona (“You Sexy Thing”). Chrissie is a spaced-out love child (“Have You Never Been Mellow”). Tripp deems himself a lovable stoner (“Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room”), Gloria is a proud feminist (“I Am Woman”), Donny is a super-friendly square (“Everything Is Beautiful”), and Angela is the foxy lady (“Lady Marmalade”).

As the excitement continues, they each try on different identities in a variety of mass-media and real-life situations. First, they find themselves in a TV game show Scream That Theme. Members of the audience shout out television theme songs at the top of their lungs to win “glamorous and exciting prizes.” At the peak of the fun, everything is thrown into chaos by an unexpected guest, a surprise male “streaker”! Chrissie, looking remarkably like Karen Carpenter, calms everyone down with a dreamy rendition of “Rainy Days and Mondays.”

It’s now time for a visit with television’s newest singing family The Grady Group, the happy people who live at 27 Bubblegum Lane. In this episode, the Gradys learn valuable life lessons and the recipe for Peggy’s famous Irish Margarita, all while singing “Brand New Key,” “Joy to the World,” “You Light Up My Life,” and “Love Will Keep Us Together.” A telegram for the eldest son arrives from the President of the United States and a single word, “Greetings,” changes everything.The mood gets “real” as the social, political, and spiritual crises of the 70s spill on to the stage. (“War Cries,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” and “Peace Train.”)

Act IIAn ominous, maddening thump-thump-thump makes way for the Disco Era. It’s Scarie’s Saturday Night Towering Disco Inferno— a mini-disco disaster opera starring Flatbush Disco King, Tony Marino, Carrie’s cousin Scarie White, and the one and only Village Person. (“I Love the Night Life,” “Treat Her Like a Lady,” “In the Village,” and “Disco Inferno.”) The Village Person makes a move on Tony, sending Scarie into a literal tailspin. An entire bowl of red punch accidentally gets spilled all over Scarie's beautiful white prom dress, which brings on a psychic fit of terror. After Scarie uses her telekinetic powers to lay waste to everyone who has ever hurt her, a ray of hope is introduced with “The Morning After.”

We shift to the countryside, a land of gentle guitar pickers (“Country Roads”) and blissed-out hippies (“Air That I Breathe”), all in search of a natural high. On the road, we meet CB-addicted truckers (“Convoy”) who search the radio for their favorite tunes (“Muskrat Love,” “Bertha Butt Boogie,” and “Dueling Banjos”). The shocking news of the day interrupts this pop song potpourri. A montage of alarming headlines brings the cast to a full-scale mental breakdown as psychedelic visions invade their minds (“MacArthur Park”).

The cast returns to the opening “rap” scene. They share what (if anything) they’ve learned from their adventure. In the end, they each agree on one thing— “I Will Survive”!

More Info

Tripp (Man 1): A dazed and confused adult. Plays Tim, the pop star son in "27 Bubblegum Lane" a 70's sitcom, Jo Jo, the "winner of last week’s hustle contest" and a James Taylor type. Tripp is also the "streaker" (see note below). High Rock Tenor.

Tyrone (Man 2): A Lou Rawls type who came to "party". Plays Dr. Grady, the father in "27 Bubblegum Lane" a 70's sitcom, the Village Person, Pops, a stagehand and a jazz fusion jammer. Must sing R&B as well as pop.

Donny (Man 3): An "Up with People" type singer (Donny Osmond) with a toothy smile. Plays Carver, the myopic and brainy son in "27 Bubblegum Lane" a 70's sitcom, Tap Kneejerk, a game show host, Tony Marino, a Saturday Night Disco King, a John Denver type and an Andy Warhol type. Great pop singer and great comedian.

Casting Notes:All company members must be triple threats. Strong singers handling music from the Carpenters to Alice Cooper, good dancers who have a solid comic sense.

Also, a note about the Streaker: In the Off-Broadway production the "streaker" was the male understudy. If he was on, someone else was brought in to streak. The show however was written structurally for the Tripp character to be able to get off stage and be the “streaker”. This will depend on your casting.

James A. Rocco is an award-winning director, writer and theatrical consultant whose work has been seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, throughout the United States, London, Paris, and Tokyo. In 2013, he was recognized by The Broadway League and The Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds for 25 years of dedication, craft, and contribution to theater.

From 2005-2017, he was the VP of Programming and Producing Artistic Director at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. As the Ordway representative with the Independent Producer’s Network, he was a producing partner and investor in the original productions of Fun Home, The Color Purple, Monty Python’s Spamalot,and others.James is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and co-founder of Thirty Saints Productions, which creates the award-winning cabaret seriesBroadway Songbook®. Thirty Saints is an investor in the current Broadway hit Come from Away andMagic Mike in London.

Albert Evans wrote the music for the Off-Broadway hit Pageant, chosen by Time Magazine as one of the year’s ten best entertainment events. In addition to its many U.S. productions, Pageanthas been performed in London, Australia, and Japan. His lyrics are featured in a new performing edition of The Merry Widow, seen at New York City Opera and televised on Live from Lincoln Center (PBS).

For ten years, Mr. Evans was Composer-in-Residence at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse. He is now Artistic Associate at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, where he adapted the songs of George M. Cohan for the musical biography, Yankee Doodle Dandy. His other scores include Nite Club Confidential, A Country Christmas Carol, and The Texas Chainsaw Musical.

Performance Royalties are based on theater particulars. Please fill out an application for a personalized quote. Billing responsibilities, pertinent copyright information, and playwrights' biographies are available in the show rider that comes with your license agreement.

“The most fun-filled show to hit the stage since Hairspray.” –The New York Resident“It’s like stumbling onto a jukebox full of your favorite 45s. It leaves no pet rock unturned!” –The New York Daily News“Scores plenty of laughs. This show is for you.” –The Associated Press“Proof the party isn’t over yet. Why not call it Forbidden '70s! ” –The Danbury Times“Weaves compelling dramatic segments in with the kitschy comedy.” –Backstage East“Brings the audience to its feet.” –Oldtown Gazette, Wichita“Dinner theater audiences usually don't bestow standing ovations. This performance got one." –The El Paso Times“There is no energy crisis in this 70s revue, just the ME generation in their finest forms. Dy-no-mite!” –Provincetown.com

Materials: your materials will be sent to you two months prior to your opening date and will include everything necessary for your production and can be ordered in Printed or Digital format. Printed Materials are provided on unbound three-hole punched loose-leaf paper while digital Materials are provided via email as downloadable PDF files for you to print in-house. All materials are yours to keep! No deposits, no returns.